Catalyst for hydrogenation of organic compounds

ABSTRACT

Novel hydrogenation catalysts are formed by impregnating a suitable support material with an aqueous solution of a salt of a transition metal; heat-treating the impregnated support at a temperature above 500*F. to form chemical complexes on the surface of the support and to drive off moisture and absorbed oxygen; activating the surface complex by contacting the impregnated support with a soluble organometallic compound wherein the metal constituent is selected from Groups I, II and III of the Periodic Chart of the Elements; treating the activated support material in the presence of hydrogen at a temperature of at least 300*F., and thereafter reacting the hydrogen treated activated support material with hydrogen sulfide. The so-formed novel supported sulfided catalysts are highly active for the hydrogenation of organic feedstocks containing relatively high concentration of sulfur in the feedstocks.

United States Patent Mertzweiller et al.

[ CATALYST FOR HYDROGENATION OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS [75] Inventors: Joseph Z. Mertzweiller; Horace M.

Tenney, both of Baton Rouge, La.

[73] Assignee: Exxon Research and Engineering Company, Linden, NJ.

[ Notice: The portion of the term of this patent subsequent to July 18, 1989, has been disclaimed.

[22] Filed: Apr. 9, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 349,113

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 253,762, May 16, 1972, Pat. No. 3,758,614, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 1,282, Jan. 7, 1970, Pat. No. 3,677,970, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 674,097, Oct. 10, 1967, abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. 252/431 C; 252/428; 252/429 B; 252/429 C; 252/430; 208/143; 260/683.9 [51] Int. Cl B0lj 11/06 [58] Field of Search 252/428, 429 B, 429 C, 252/430, 431 C, 431 R; 208/143; 260/683.9

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 2,875,158 2/1959 Winstrom 2521439 3,113,931 12/1963 Voltz 252/442 [4 1 *July 8, 1975 Primary ExaminerWinston A. Douglas Assistant Examiner-W. J. Shine Attorney, Agent, or FirmA. D. Litt; John W. Ditsler [5 7 ABSTRACT Novel hydrogenation catalysts are formed by impregnating a suitable support material with an aqueous solution of a salt of a transition metal; heat-treating the impregnated support at a temperature above 500F. to form chemical complexes on the surface of the support and to drive off moisture and absorbed oxygen; activating the surface complex by contacting the impregnated support with a soluble organometallic compound wherein the metal constituent is selected from Groups 1, I1 and III of the Periodic Chart of the Elements; treating the activated support material in the presence of hydrogen at a temperature of at least 300F., and thereafter reacting the hydrogen treated activated support material with hydrogen sulfide. The so-formed novel supported sulfided catalysts are highly active for the hydrogenation of organic feedstocks containing relatively high concentration of sulfur in the feedstocks.

7 Claims, No Drawings CATALYST FOR I-IYDROGENATION OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 253,762, filed May I6, 1972 (now U.S. Pat. No. 3,758,614, issued Sept. ll, 1973), which in turn is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 1,282, filed Jan. 7, 1970, which application is a continuation-in-part of US. Ser. No. 674,097, filed Oct. 10, I967, now abancloned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a new and useful process for the preparation of high activity catalysts suitable for reactions between hydrogen and hydrocarbons and particularly for the hydrogenation, or hydrogen addition, to organic compounds containing nitrile groups, carbonyl groups, aromatic, acetylenic or olefinic linkages. It is also concerned with the novel catalysts so produced, as well as the processes for using these catalysts.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Various heavy metals, especially transition metals, have been previously described as useful for conducting catalytic reactions. Hydrogenation catalysts have included solid metals, slurries of metals, and metals dispersed on supports. Solid metal catalyst had been prepared by contacting oxides of the desired metal with reducing gases, e.g., carbon monoxide, or hydrogen, or both. Slurries suitable as catalyst have been prepared by contacting anhydrous solutions of organometallic compounds of the desired metal with organoaluminum compounds, these being brought together to form slurried catalysts. Metals have been provided on supports by impregnation of support with anhydrous solutions of the salts of the desired metal, this being found by reduction of the salts to produce deposition of metallic metal.

In Canadian Pat. No. 697,780, which issued Nov. 10, 1964, methods are described for improving the activity of cobalt and for converting certain inactive metals, i.e., manganese and molybdenum, into active hydrogenation catalysts. In typical reactions, slurried catalytic mixtures are produced by forming anhydrous solutions of soaps of the desired metal, and the desired organometallic reducing agent, and then contacting the two solutions together to form catalytic reaction mixtures. In accordance with one of the methods, a support is impregnated by contact with anhydrous or nonaqueous solution of a soap of the desired metal, and with an organometallic reducing agent, such as organoaluminum compound, to produce a loosely supported reaction product mixture of dispersed metals. In other techniques, supports are impregnated with soaps of the desired metal, and the support then contacted with a solution of the organometallic reducing agent to produce supported catalytic mixtures.

While these catalysts are moderately active hydrogenation catalysts, there are nonetheless a number of disadvantages associated with their use. For one thing, the materials, in all the phases of their use are highly pyrophoric and the slurries must be formed in an oxygenfree atmosphere. Also, the catalytic materials formed are highly pyrophoric. Thus, the catalytic product of the reaction is an insoluble pyrophoric solid which is highly reactive whether in slurry or supported form.

Moreover, the material used in forming the catalysts are quite expensive, to say nothing of the cost involved, due to the extra precautions which must be taken in handling the materials. Furthermore, the organic solvents which are used are highly flammable.

In US. Pat. No. 3,4l5,759 there is disclosed a method for preparing a hydrogenation catalyst by depositing cobalt carboxylate on a diatomaceous earth support and heating the supported cobalt carboxylate at a temperature between about I35 and C. and thereafter reacting the thus heat-treated product with an aluminum alkyl. However, when temperatures materially above about 160C. are employed to dry the catalysts, the catalyst becomes progressively deactivated, particularly insofar as the hydrogenation of high molecular weight compounds are concerned.

In our copending application Ser. No. 880,933 filed Nov. 28, 1969 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,71 1,423, issued Jan. 16, 1973, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 674,098, filed Oct. I0, 1967, now abandoned, new and improved hydrogenation catalysts employable in heterogeneous liquid and gas phase reaction systems are described. These catalysts are very highly active for the hydrogenation of organic compounds under very mild conditions of temperature and pressure; even ambient conditions. While these catalysts have proven quite useful in various hydrogenation reactions, they have left something to be desired in the processing of high sulfur content feeds. In processing non-sulfur containing feeds, hydrogenation reactions have been conducted smoothly and efficiently for periods of long duration. In processing sulfur-containing feeds, however, the activity of the catalysts have declined very rapidly. The sulfur acts as a poison, rapidly deactivating the catalysts.

It is, accordingly, an objective of the present invention to obviate these and other problems. In particular, it is an objective of this invention to provide novel supported catalysts employable in heterogeneous liquid and gas phase reaction systems, these being highly active for the hydrogenation of organic compounds, including especially those containing aromatic or olefinic linkages, even under very mild conditions of temperature and pressure, in the presence of sulfur. More particularly, it is an object to provide easy to handle catalysts for use in a wide variety of processes, including selective hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, isomerization, hydrodesulfurization, hydrodenitrogenation, hydrocracking and hydrogen transfer. An even further object is to provide an efficient process for forming high activity catalysts, the process utilizing relatively cheap, readily available forms of metal salts applicable in aqueous media.

The present invention is based on the discovery that catalysts formed pursuant to steps described in US. Pat. No. 3,711,423 can be further treated with hydrogen sulfide, at low temperature, to render them impervious to subsequent deactivation by sulfur. Accordingly, the present hydrogenation catalysts can be used for hydrogenation of suitable feedstocks, even in the presence of large amounts of sulfur.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It has now been discovered that novel hydrogenation catalysts exhibiting unusually high activity and stability and impervious to subsequent deactivation by sulfur may be prepared by impregnating a suitable support material, as hereinafter defined, with an aqueous solution of a salt of a transition metal; heat-treating the impregnated support at a temperature of at least about 500F. to form chemical complexes on the surface of the support and to drive off moisture and absorbed oxygen; activating the surface complex by contacting the impregnated supports with a soluble organometallic compound wherein the metal constituent is selected from Groups I, I] and [ll of the Periodic Chart of the Elements, treating the activated support material in the presence of hydrogen at a temperature of at least 300F. and then treating with hydrogen sulfide to further activate and stabilize the catalyst. The present invention is based on the discovery that a highly tenaceous chemical bonding can be formed between the surface of certain types of supports and the transition metals and the metallic constituent of the soluble organometallic compound when the metals are applied to the supports under the sequence and critically defined conditions of the instant invention. In the sequence of process steps, a supporting material having a surface area of at least 5 square meters per gram and containing at least 0.l millimoles of hydroxyl groups per gram of support is first impregnated with a water-soluble species of a transition metal, preferably a Group B, lVB, VB, VlB, VllB or Group VIII metal. Water has been found particularly suitable for the application of the Group [8, lVB, VB, VlB, VllB or Group VIII metals to the support by contacting or immersing the support in an aqueous solution of a salt of the desired metal. Suitably, the support is impregnated with from about 0.1 to about 20% metal, and preferably from about 2 to about metal, based on the total weight of the deposited metal and support.

The impregnated support is then preconditioned by heating the impregnated support at a temperature of at least about 500F. in order to drive off moisture and absorbed oxygen from the catalyst surface. The preconditioned catalyst is then activated by contacting the impregnated supports with a soluble organometallic compound wherein the metallic constituent is selected from Group I, II and III of the Periodic Chart of the Elements and wherein the metallic constituent has an atomic number of from 3 to 50. Preferably, the organic constituent of the organometallic compound are alkyl groups, particularly linear alkyl groups having from 1 to about 12 carbon atoms. Only the organometallic compounds of Groups I, I] and Ill which are soluble in hydrocarbon or soluble in or complexed with ethers are suitable for the method of this invention. These are the organometallic species which are characterized by predominantly covalent bonding between the metal and the alkyl and- /or hydride groups. The preferred metallic constituent of the organometallic compound is aluminum.

The activated supported material is then treated by heating the activated supported material at a temperature of at least 300F. in the presence of a gaseous stream containing hydrogen. Preferably, the activated supported material is treated in the presence of hydrogen at a temperature above 800F. and more preferably at a temperature in the range of from about 800 to about l,200F. for a period of time in the range of from about I to about 100 hours. Surprisingly, it has been found that under these high severity conditions, i.e. treating the activated supported catalyst at a temperature above 800 and up to about l,200F. in the presence of hydrogen, the activity of these catalysts is not significantly decreased and, in fact, generally increases as the treating severity is increased.

Thereafter, the hydrogen treated activated supported metal complex is treated with hydrogen sulfide or a gaseous stream containing hydrogen sulfide. The so treated catalyst is then ready for use in a suitable reaction system for producing hydrogenation (or dehydrogenation) reactions. These catalysts, especially those formed by use of aqueous solutions of the salts of iron, cobalt and nickel, have proven themselves of exceptionally high activity. Olefins, whether singular or multiple linkage compounds, aliphatic or cyclic, have been readily hydrogenated to paraffins, and aromatic compounds have been saturated to produce the corresponding cycloalkanes. Acetylenic compounds, whether of singular or multiple linkage, or aliphatic or cyclic, can also be hydrogenated. This is to even where the feedstocks utilized in the reactions contained high concentrations of sulfur. And, even after long periods of use, the activity of the catalysts was virtually unimpaired. Further, catalysts formed by impregnation of the support with salts of cobalt and iron in the initial step have proven highly satisfactory despite the normally low activity attributed to cobalt and the even lower activity attributed to iron for produing hydrogenation reactions There is some interferene, however, by some types of sulfur compounds and the normal high activity can be impeded very gradually. Thus, although these catalysts normally have good resistance to sulfur types and concentrations normally present in petroleum oil stocks, there is evidence that certain sulfur compounds, e.g., mercaptans, tend to be adsorbed on the catalyst and may thereby cause some loss of activity. in addition to the sulfur compounds, impurities such as water, other oxygen-containing compounds and nitrogen-containin g compounds may also exert a deactivating effect on the catalyst. Even this effect, however, can be curtailed or eliminated by operating the catalysts at temperatures and pressures at which adsorption of the impurities is not favored. The conditions necessary to achieve this effect will vary with different feedstocks and different impurities.

In addition it has been unexpectedly discovered that the above-mentioned type of catalyst deactivation is reversible such that the deactivated catalyst can be restored to substantially its original activity by treatment at elevated temperatures, preferably in the presence of a stripping gas.

Examples of suitable stripping gases include hydrogen, nitrogen, methane and the like. Hydrogen is preferred and is desirably used at temperatures ranging between about 400 and 1,000F. However, broad temperatures which are operable in the subject process range from about 200F. to about 1,200F. The stripping gases should be substantially free of the impurities that are to be removed from the catalyst, and hence are preliminarily purified such as by drying, caustic scrubbing and drying, contacting with suitable adsorbents and the like. The amount of stripping gas that may be used in the process varies, dependent in part on the degree of deactivation of the catalyst, the level of catalytic activity desired to be obtained and the nature of the stripping gas. In general space velocities ranging from about to about 25,000 volumes of gas per volume of catalyst per hour (V/V/Hr.) may be used, preferably 500 to about l,000 V/V/Hr. The stripping gas may be used on a once-through basis or may be recycled for further use. The reactivation process is desirably conducted in the absence of solvent. In addition, the process may be aided by conducting same in vacuo. The reactivation is carried out for a time sufficient to achieve the desired level of reactivation and generally for a time ranging between about I and 24 hours or more. The catalysts are amenable to substantially complete regeneration by (l) oxidizing with air to remove carbonaceous residues, (2) resulfiding and (3) reactivation with aluminum alkyl compound.

While the exact nature of the mechanism is not known and, though the applicants do not wish to be bound by a specific theory on mechanism, there are certain things which are known to occur in the formation of these catalysts. When a suitable support has been impregnated with a transition metal and heattreated at a temperature of at least 500F., there is believed to exist a chemical bonding between the surface of the support and the species of the transition metal. This interaction is believed to occur between the acid sites on the support surface and the transition metal salt. Evidence of such interaction is obtained when, for example, iron is employed as the transition metal and is impregnated on a suitable support and heat-treated at a temperature of 500F. in accordance with the practice of the instant invention, and examined by Mossbauer spectroscopy. Such an examination reveals that essentially all i.e., 99+ percent of the iron is in the +3 valence state and the Mossbauer pattern corresponds to no known oxide of iron nor to the iron salt employed in impregnating the suitable supporting material. Consequently, this interaction or chemical bonding between the support and the transition metal is believed to be responsible for the difficulty in reducing such a supported catalyst to metallic iron by treatment with hydrogen. For example, under conditions of l atmosphere hydrogen pressure at a temperature of about 1,000F., virtually all the iron is reduced to the +2 valence state, i.e., an inactive catalyst while little or no metallic iron is formed.

However, when the heat-treated impregnated support is treated with an excess of organometallic compound, i.e., QRn where Q represents a Group I, ll or III metal, R represents a hydride or the organic constituent and wherein n is equal to the valence state of 0, it is believed that the bond between the transition metal M (e.g. iron) and the support is broken with a QR,,,.,, fragment becoming bonded to the support and the metal M being alkylated by the other R group. The transition metal alkyl is unstable and stabilizes itself by decomposing to a hydride group plus olefin. These reactions can be visualized as follows:

Support-OH MX :5 Support OMO The species RM--O- and HMO is intended to designate a medium sized crystallite of the transition metal species containing at least one hydride group and not simply one atom of M. A medium size crystallite of M may contain or more atoms of M with its anionic component (e.g. oxygen, halide, etc.). Reactions similar to reactions (2) and (3) occur at other M-O bonds in the crystallites of M now no longer bonded to the support. There results considerably smaller crystallites of M containing hydride groups,

(olefin) Simultaneously with these reactions involving crystallite size reduction in M there are residual OH groups on the support which react with QR The products of both reactions (4) and (5) contain R groups attached to O which also has one bond to oxygen or another anionic species. This renders the remaining R groups or 0 less reactive for reactions (2) and (4). However, if the temperature is increased substantially (e.g., above 300F.) these R groups become reactive. The result is (1) further decrease in the crystallite size of M and (2) formation of additional hydride groups of M.

The most interesting and significant reaction of all is the reaction between a small hydride crystallite of M (e.g., the product of reaction (4) with R group from the product of reaction (5) at elevated temperature). This reaction leads to a still smaller hydride crystallite of M strongly chemically bonded to O which is strongly chemically bonded to the support at the site of an original hydroxyl group.

When the reaction is forced to completion at elevated temperatures in the presence of hydrogen, all the OR groups (or Q-H groups formed therefrom) are reacted according to the reaction (2), (4), (5) and (6) and if the ratio of M to OH on the support is optimum, there results an extremely active and stable catalyst. The activity is due to the extremely small crystallites of the M hydride and the stability is due to the strong bonding to the support, reaction (6).

The catalyst is then converted to a sulfur-impervious hydrogenation catalyst by treating the active catalyst species, i.e., SupportOQ(OM-H) with hy drogen sulfide, as can be represented by the following equation:

and

The important feature to note is that prior to the sulfiding treatment (after treating with the metal alkyl compound and with hydrogen) the transition metal is in a highly active and stable state in view of: (l) the very high dispersion (small crystallite size) and (2) the direct chemical bonding of the small crystallite to the support. Upon converting this species to the sulfur resistant form, these two features are not significantly changed and this is the reason for the highly active sulfided catalyst forms.

The sulfiding step is conducted in vapor phase at a temperature of from about F. to l,000F. and more preferably from about 100F. to 800F. The sulfiding step is generally carried out by use of a diluted gaseous stream containing hydrogen sulfide, preferably in quantities ranging from about 0.1 to about perccent H S concentrations, and more preferably in quantities ranging from about l percent to about 10 percent concentration. Higher concentrations of hydrogen sulfide are not generally desirable due to the practical necessity of removing the heats of reaction. The sulfiding step is highly exothermic in nature. While virtually any sulfurcontaining compound, or even elemental sulfur, can be used, e.g., in a hydrogen atmosphere, in forming the desired hydrogen sulfide, it is generally preferred to use H 8 formed externally to the sulfiding zone. Of course, hydrogen sulfide can be formed in gases at higher temperatures, and thence the temperature of the gas reduced to effect the sulfiding step.

Thus, it has been discovered that the highly active supported catalysts described above may be sulfided at temperatures above that which have heretofore been possible. In Ser. No. 674,097, filed Oct. 10, 1967, now abandoned, it is disclosed that the sulfiding step must be conducted at a temperature below 250F. in view of the fact that at higher sulfiding temperatures the activity of the catalyst is greatly diminished and, in fact, virtually destroyed. Now, however, the sulfiding step may be conducted under a much broader temperature range, as described above. This is believed to be due to employing the fixation treatment to form a more highly stable and active catalyst.

In addition, it has further been discovered that upon completing the sulfiding step, the sulfided catalyst may then be further treated with a gaseous stream containing hydrogen, under high temperature conditions, as hereinafter described, in order to remove loosely held sulfide or sulfur compounds from the catalyst. Thus when the sulfided catalyst is further heated in a hydrogen atmosphere, a significant enhancement in hydrogenation activity results. This hydrogen treatment may be carried out at temperatures of 400 to 1,200F. and preferably above 600F. with a flow of hydrogen passing over the catalyst. This behavior suggests the possibility of an equilibrium of the type.

If this is indeed the case, the catalyst will perform better at increased hydrogen partial pressures when the sulfur content of the feed reaches higher levels.

Thus, it is believed that the applicants have discovered a new route to a valuable and novel heterogeneous sulfided catalyst which is believed to involve chemical bonding between the support, transition metal and metallic constituent of the organometallic reducing agent which allows for a highly active catalyst which is stable under high severity conditions and resistant to sulfur deactivation.

The selection of a suitable support material upon which the transition metal is impregnated is an essential feature of the instant invention. Suitable supports are those having a reasonable surface area and a sufficient concentration of hydroxyl groups on the surface, which hydroxyl groups are capable of reacting with an organometallic compound, i.e. OR, or QR X where 0 represents a Group I, 1] or II] metal, R represents a hydride or an organic constituent e.g., an alkyl group of the organometallic compound, and wherein X equals a halogen, in order to eliminate the RH species and attach the QR species to support surface through the oxygen atom of the original hydroxyl group. Properties and suitability of supports can be characterized in terms of surface area and their hydroxyl content measured by reaction with an organometallic i.e., QR compound in the absence of a transition metal.

Those supports most suited to the instant invention include the oxides of Groups ll, 1]] and IV of the Periodic Chart of the Elements which can be prepared with surface areas in excess of 5 square meters per gram and wherein the hydroxyl content of the support is at least 0.1 millimoles of hydroxyl groups per gram of support. The oxides of Groups II, III and IV having a surface area in excess of 50 square meters per gram and containing a hydroxyl group content of at least 0.2 millimoles of hydroxyl groups per gram of support, determined by reaction of the support with the organometallic compound in the absence of the transition metal are preferred. Aluminum oxide having a surface area of above about square meters per gram and a hydroxyl content of at least 1 millimole per gram is the most preferred supporting material of the instant invention. Additional, nonlimiting examples of suitable supporting materials include magnesium oxide, zinc oxide, titanium oxide, provided they have the necessary surface areas and reactive hydroxyl group content as described above. Any types of supports, while possessing the desired surface area, may or may not have the desired reactive hydroxyl group content. Nevertheless, some such supports, for example, activated carbon, can be enhanced in hydroxyl group content by treatment with air or an air-steam mixture at moderate temperatures, i,e., below about 1,000F. in order to form a suitable support for the catalyst of the instant invention. Other well-known supports, such as silica, have a sufficient surface area but may lack the necessary concentration of reactive hydroxyl groups and are not suitable. Silica-alumina supports, having the necessary hydroxyl group concentrations are effective supports and may also be employed in the practice of the invention.

The supported catalyst of the instant invention may be prepared by any means conventionally used for the preparation of a supported catalyst, e.g., by impregnating the support or by precipitation in the presence of the support or by coprecipitation with the supporting material. Water has been found to be particularly suitable for the application of the transition metal salt to the supporting materials. Preferably, the support is first impregnated with a water-soluble species of the transition metal salt by contacting or immersing the support in an aqueous solution of the salt of the desired metal. Preferably, the support is impregnated with from about 0.1 to about 30 percent equivalent transition metals; and preferably from about 1 to about l0 percent equivalent transition metal, based on the total weight of the deposited equivalent metal and support. The optimum concentration of transition metal on the support will depend on the nature of the transition metal and on the surface area and hydroxyl content of the support. For example, when a pure activated alumina having a surface area of about 200 square meters per gram and a hydroxyl content of about 1.2 millimoles per gram is employed as the supporting material, and when iron is employed as the transition metal, the optimum concentration of iron is about 0.6 millimoles of iron per gram support. With noble metals, for example much lower concentration in the range of 0.1 to l percent are employed. The optimum concentration for other transition metals which results in the highly active, stable catalysts of the instant invention are not known with exactitude because of the many and varied supports which can be employed herein. Nevertheless, it is believed that one skilled in the art can readily determine these concentrations in view of the fact that they are within the preferred concentration ranges as described above.

The use of water to effect the chemical bonding is particularly important in the impregnation of the supports with salts of the desired transition metal. Even iron has produced an exceptionally active catalyst when applied to the support in the form of salts dissolved in aqueous solution. In fact, catalysts derived from aqueous solutions of iron salts have even proved highly effective for the hydrogenation of aromatic nucleus and carbonyl groups of organic compound, i.e. aldehydes and ketones.

The transition metals which can be employed in the practice of the instant invention include the Group IB, lVB, VB, VIB, VllB, and Group VIII metals. Preferably, the transition metals which can be employed in the practice of the instant invention include iron, cobalt, nickel, platinum, tungsten, chromium, vanadium, molybdenum, rhenium, manganese, titanium, zirconium, niobium, palladium, rhodium, copper, silver and gold. The most preferred transition metals include iron, cobalt and nickel, platinum, tungsten, chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, rhenium and copper. Nonlimiting examples of salts which can be employed for the application of these metals to these supports include the halides, sulfates, nitrates, formates, acetates, propionates, molybdate, vanadates, chromates, dichromates, tungstates, manganates, titanates, zirconates, rhenates, perhenates and the like. Water soluble acids such as perrhenic acid may also be employed. These various transition metals described above may be used alone or in combination.

The impregnated support in powder or granular form, is then treated by establishing time-temperature relationships suitable to produce a chemical change on the surface of the support and remove water and absorbed oxygen. Suitably, the impregnated support can be heated in air, in an inert atmosphere or in vacuum, e.g. 20 to 29 inches of vacuum at a temperature of at least about 500F. preferably 600 to l,500F. and more preferably from about 600 to about l,OOOF. It is a critical feature, in order to form the more highly active and stable catalyst of the instant invention, to heat the impregnated support at a temperature above 500F. for a period of time in the range of about 0.5 to about 4 hours and preferably from about 1 to 2 hours. While the heat-treatment may be performed in air or an oxygen atmosphere, it must then be followed by a period in an inert atmosphere in order to remove the adsorbed oxygen. ln addition to the removal of oxygen and moisture, other important reactions occur during this heattreatment, as described above, in order to render the transition metal in a form more amenable to the subsequent reaction with the organometallic compounds.

In an alternative embodiment, the impregnation and heat-treating steps can be conducted in multiple stages. For example, the support can be impregnated and then dried or partially dried, at low temperature. The support can then be reimpregnated and again dried or partially dried. The heat treatment per se may be conducted in multiple stages, if desired. The impregnated support, to facilitate handling, can thus be subjected to a first rather mild heat treatment to dry the support and then, in a second step, to a more severe treatment to produce the desired chemical change at the surface of this support. Supported catalysts, such as are supplied by the commercial catalyst manufacturers, e.g., iron, cobalt and/or nickel, alone or in combination with other metals such as molybdenum, tungsten, or the like are also amenable to such treatments to transform them to highly active catalysts.

The then impregnated, heat-treated support is activated by treatment with an organometallic compound, suitably a hydrocarbon solution of an organometallic compound, or a hydrocarbon soluble organometallic compound, a metallic constituent of which is selected from Groups I, l] and Ill of the Periodic Chart of the Elements as in Fisher Scientific Company, Copyright 1952. Preferably, the organometallic compounds include those having the formula: QR wherein Q is equal to the metallic constituent and is selected from Groups lA, [I and Ill having an atomic number of from 3 to 50 and n is the valence state of Q and wherein R is selected from the group consisting of a hydride or same or different substituted or unsubstituted saturated or unsaturated alkyl, aryl, alkylaryl, arylalkyl or cycloalkyl groups containing up to about 20 carbon atoms. Representative, nonlimiting examples of the organic constituents, i.e., R, include, but are not limited to methyl, ethyl, n-propy], isopropyl, isobutyl, secondary butyl, tertiary butyl, n amyl, isoamyl, heptyl, n-octyl, ndodecyl and the like; 2-butyl, 2methyl-2-butyl, and the like; cyclopentylmethyl, cyclohexylethyl, cyclohexylpropyl and the like; Z-phenylethyl, Z-phenylpropyl, 2- naphthylethyl, methylnaphthylethyl, and the like; cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, 2,2,l-bicycloheptyl and the like, methylcyclopentyl, dimethylcyclopentyl, ethylcyclopentyl, methylcyclohexyl, dimethylcyclohexyl, 5- cyclopentadienyl and the like; phenylcyclopentyl, and the like, phenyl, tolyl, ethylphenyl, xylenyl, naphthyl, cyclohexylphenyl and the like. The more preferred metallic constituent of the organic metallic compound, i.e., Q is selected from the group consisting of lithium, magnesium, beryllium, zinc, cadmium, mercury, boron, aluminum, gallium and indium. In addition, organometallic compounds having the formula QR,,X,,, may be employed as the organometallic compound of the instant invention where Q and R are identical to the Q and R having been previously described, X is a halogen, and n and m are integers ranging from 1 to 3, the summation equal to the valence of Q.

The most preferred organometallic activating agents are the trialkyl substituted products of aluminum and the dialkyl halides of aluminum, particularly those containing alkyl groups having from one to about six carbon atoms, especially the linear alkyl groups. Exemplary of such compounds, which contain up to about 18 carbon atoms in the molecule, are trimethyl aluminum, triethyl aluminum, tri-n-butyl aluminum, tri-isobutyl aluminum, diethyl aluminum hydride, diethyl aluminum chloride, diethyl aluminum fluoride and the like. Certain volatile or hydrocarbon-soluble hydrides, for example, the various known hydrides of boron, are also suitable activating agents as well as are the Grignard reagents.

The treatment of the supported, heat-treated catalyst with the organometallic compound can be carried out with pure or diluted metal alkyl compounds in the liquid or vapor phase. Hydrocarbon diluents of the paraffinic, cycloparaffinic or aromatic types are entirely suitable. The metal alkyl compound may be present in concentrations of 5 to 50 percent in the diluent. A solution of about 20% aluminum triethyl in a paraffinic diluent in a preferred activation system. The activation reaction is quite exothermic and it may be desirable to remove the heat of activation. The temperature during the activation step, which is maintained in the range of from about F. to about 500F., preferably from about 100F. to about 200F. Considerable gas liberation occurs during activation and these gases are normally vented from the system. The activation is allowed to proceed until reaction is no longer observed, generally 0.5 hr. to 2 hrs. in contact with at least some excess of metal alkyl compound.

The treatment of the activated support material in order to obtain the most active and stable catalysts referred to above as the fixation" step is a critical feature of the instant invention. After the supported catalyst has been activated with the organometallic reducing agent, it is essential that the supported catalyst be treated in the presence of a gaseous stream containing hydrogen at a temperature of at least 300F. in order to form the highly active, stable, novel heterogeneous catalyst of the instant invention. Preferably, the supported activated catalyst is treated in the presence of hydrogen at a temperature in the range of from about 300F. to about l,200F., more preferably from about 400F. to about l,200F. and still more preferably between about 800F. and 1,200F. It is essential that this fixation treatment be conducted in the presence of a gaseous stream containing hydrogen. This fixation treatment can be carried out in the presence of nitrogen or inert gases such as helium, argon, and the like in view of the fact that hydrogen is formed "in situ" when these inert gases are employed. Necessarily, however, the fixation in the presence of nitrogen or inert gases such as helium, and argon will result in catalysts of lower activity than when the fixation step of the activated support catalyst is conducted totally in the presence of a hydrogen gas.

Although nitrogen is normally considered an inert gas, there is evidence that it may not be truly inert when present in the fixation of these catalyst systems. There is some evidence that gaseous nitrogen may react with the transition metal species at elevated temperatures. Such reaction which may form nitrides of the metals are obviously undesirable. Therefore, it is preferred that the fixation step by conducted at the above critical temperatures in the presence of a gaseous stream containing or resulting in the formation in the reaction zone of from about 5 to lOO percent hydrogen and more preferably from about 75 to about percent hydrogen. Most preferably, the fixation under the above-described critical temperature conditions is conducted totally in the presence of a hydrogen atmosphere. As described above, it is believed that the function of hydrogen during the fixation step" when the supported activated catalyst is treated under the critical temperature limitation described above, is to fix the catalyst in a stable heterogeneous form.

The fixation of the supported activated catalyst in the presence of a hydrogen gas under the above-described critical conditions is usually conducted over a period of time varying between about 1 to about 100 hours, generally less time being required at higher temperatures. As described above, it is quite surprising that under optimum conditions as described above, it can be shown that the activity of the catalysts of the instant invention increases as the length of time in which the supported activated catalyst is being treated in the presence of hydrogen at high temperatures, e.g. 800l200F. increases. This, again, is believed to be due to the fact that the instant invention results in completion of a series of reactions leading to a chemical bonding between the surface of the support and a very small crystallite of the transition metal and metal constituent of the organometallic compound such that these metals are not free to migrate on the surface of the catalyst and grow large crystallites. The formation of large crystallites in conventional supported catalyst is generally accepted as an important mode of catalyst deactivation. Thus, the catalyst of the instant invention are highly active at extremely mild hydrogenation conditions as well as exhibiting unusual stability at high severity conditions.

The fixation in the presence of hydrogen under the above-described temperature conditions can also be influenced by the hydrogen pressure at which such a treatment is conducted. Generally, atmospheric or near atmospheric pressure, from about 0.5 to about 1.5 atmospheres is employed. However, the hydrogen partial pressure may be increased in the reaction zone up to 100 atmospheres or greater. The hydrogen partial pressure will generally decrease the time-temperature requirements for forming the chemical bonding between the supports at a transition metal and metallic portion of the organometallic compounds.

The so-treated catalyst is then treated with hydrogen sulfide or a gaseous stream containing from about 1 percent to about 20 percent hydrogen sulfide, as described above, in order to form the sulfur-impervious hydrogenation catalyst of the instant invention, and may be further treated in hydrogen as described above to form the most active supported sulfided catalyst of the instant invention. The thus formed catalyst is then ready for contact with hydrogen or hydrogencontaining gases, a suitable reaction system for producing hydrogenation (or dehydrogenation) reactions. Olefins, whether singular or multiple linkage compounds, aliphatic or cyclic, and containing two to about 50 carbon atoms have been readily hydrogenated to paraftins, and aromatic compounds containing from six to about 50 carbon atoms, and more preferably from about six to about 30 carbon atoms have been saturated to produce the corresponding cycloalkane. Acetylenic compounds, whether singular or multiple linkage, aliphatic or cyclic in containing from about two to about l0 carbon atoms can also be hydrogenated by the catalyst of the instant invention. In fact, catalyst formed by the impregnation of the supports with aqueous salts of cobalt, and iron have proven highly satisfactory despite the normally low activity attributed to cobalt and the even lower activity attributed to iron for producing hydrogenation reactions.

The catalysts can be utilized as slurries or as fixed beds, movable beds and fluidized beds, in liquid phase or vapor phase, in batch, continuous or staged operations. Hydrogenation reactions can be carried out at remarkably low temperature and pressures as contrasted with the more conventional catalysts, whether the reaction is conducted in liquid phase or vapor phase. Hydrogenation reactions are generally conducted at temperatures ranging from about F. to about l,000F., and preferably at temperatures ranging from about 100F. to about 500F. The reactions can be conducted at lower than atmospheric pressures or at supra atmospheric pressures, but generally pressures ranging from as low as about 1 atmosphere to about 500 atmospheres can be employed. Preferably, however, pressures ranging from about 1 atmosphere to about 50 atmospheres are employed in conducting the reactions.

These catalysts are suitable for carrying out hydrogenation reactions in systems designed to handle high heats of reaction and severe contacting problems, without substantial deterioration and separation of catalyst from the support. This is due in large part to the high stability and activity of these catalysts, by virtue of which hydrogenation reactions can be conducted at very low hydrogen partial pressures ranging as low as from about 1 to about 200 atmospheres.

When it is desired to carry hydrogenation reactions essentially to completion, an excess of hydrogen over the stoichiometric requirement is used. This excess may vary from a few percent to several hundred or even several thousand percent. In the latter cases, the excess hydrogen is separated and recycled to the system. When it is desired to carry out partial hydrogenations, the reaction can be controlled on the basis of hydrogen concentration, e.g., mol ratio of H to feed, or reaction kinetics, e.g., using an excess of hydrogen and controlling reaction by time, temperature, H partial pressure and the like.

These and other features of the invention will be understood by reference to the following illustrative examples.

EXAMPLE 1 One hundred grams of F-l activated alumina (Alcoa, 8-l4 mesh) was impregnated with a solution prepared by dissolving 36 grams nickelous acetate (4 waters of hydration) in 156 grams water. After standing, the excess liquid was poured off and the catalyst dried in the vacuum oven at 300F. The catalyst was impregnated a second time with the residual nickelous acetate solution. A small excess solution was poured off and the catalyst dried at 320F. in the vacuum oven. The catalyst analyzed 3.4 percent nickel (calculated as metallic nickel).

Fifty grams of the catalyst was charged to a heated quartz tubular reactor and heated in a flow of dry nitrogen at 600F. for approximately I hour. After cooling to room temperature, the reactor was flooded from the bottom with a percent solution of aluminum triethyl in toluene. The temperature reached a maximum of 140F. and the solution was allowed to stay in the reactor for l hour. The liquid was drawn off and the catalyst was heated in a stream of dry nitrogen at 400430F. for 30 minutes to remove excess aluminum triethyl.

After cooling to room temperature, the catalyst was treated with hydrogen sulfide gas (about 10% H 5 in N diluent). All H 8 was absorbed by the catalyst for about the first 35 minutes after which time breakthrough of H 5 occurred. The maximum temperature reached during the sulfiding operation was F. The catalyst was then treated in a flow of hydrogen at 300375F. for 1 hour.

EXAMPLE 2 The catalyst prepared and activated in Example l was transferred to a one-liter Parr autoclave along with 300 cc. of a 50 percent solution of octene-l in benzene. The mixture was hydrogenated at 390395F. and 800 psig H pressure and samples withdrawn periodically and analyzed by vapor chromatography. REsults are shown below:

Time on Conditions, Hrs. l 3 5 7 Product Anal s,%

Octane l6.8 36.3 4| .6 Octene 31.8 19 3 12.2 8.1 Benzene 51.4 1 5 50.3

The olefin was hydrogenated very selectively, with little or no hydrogenation of the benzene.

EXAMPLE 3 The unactivated nickel catalyst (50 gms.) prepared in Example 1, Le, the catalyst as prepared prior to treatment with aluminum triethyl, was charged to the quartz tube and held at 600635F. while a stream of H 8 was passed over the catalyst. Breakthrough of H 8 occurred in about 30 minutes and the gas was changed to hydrogen and the catalyst cooled under hydrogen. The catalyst was used to hydrogenate a 50 percent solution of octene in benzene at 390-395F. and 800 psig H pressure with the following results:

Time on Conditions, Hrs. l 3 5 Product Analyses,

Octane 4.6 8.5 12.9 Octene 43.4 39.8 36.3 Benzene 52.0 5 l .7 50.8

The catalyst in Example 2 had about five times the activity for olefin hydrogenation compared to the catalyst in Example 3.

EXAMPLE 4 15 16 Time on Conditions. Hrl 3 5 l75F.) and freed of excess alkyl by stripping with dry nitrogen at 400F. Product Analyses,% The catalyst was transferred to a tube which was 5.8 3-}; cooled in ice and the catalyst was sulfided (about 10 Benzene percent H 5 m N,) at a maximum temperature of 75F.

until H,S broke through. This catalyst was thus approximately twice as active The yst B was charged with 200 60 of as the catalyst described in Example 2. benzene to a one-liter st irred autoclave. Hydrogenation was carried out at 390 395 F. and 800 psig H pres- EXAMPLES sure. The benzene was hydrogenated at a rate of about A commercial nickel-molybdena catalyst was acti- 3 percent per hour. vated with H 8 at high temperature without prior aluminum alkyl treating, and at intermediate and low tem- EXAMPLE l0 peratures with aluminum alkyl pretreating. Activities of the catalysts were measured in terms of time required S The catalyst used in Example 9 was used to hydrogeto hydrogenate half of the octene in octene-benzene nate the steam cracked naphtha under the conditions mixtures at various temperatures and pressures. and with the results shown.

Example 5 6 7 All-Et None Yes Yes Sulfiding Temperature F. (Max) 6l0 320 65 Hydrogenation Conditions Temperature, F. 350 395 350 2l2 2l2 H,Pressure 800 800 800 400 400 Time, Hrs. Estimated for 50 percent Hydrogenation of Olefin, Hrs. 6.5 1.4 0.40 1.2 0.25

Hydrogenation Conditions Temperature, F. 250 300 H, Pressure, Psig 800 800 Time, Hr. Br. No. Time, Hr. Br. No.

EXAMPLE 8 40 In hydrogenating steam cracked naphthas it is desired to carry out the hydrogenation at as low tempera- The catalyst used in Example 7 was used to hydrogetures as possible to avoid contamination of the catalyst nate steam cracked naphtha having a bromine number with polymeric materials, It is normally not necessary of 53 and containing about 200 ppm sulfur. About 250 or desirable to completely hydrogenate the naphtha. At cc. naphtha feed was used with cc (35 grams) of cata bromine number of about 30, using the catalysts dealyst in the stirred autoclave. Hydrogenation conditions scribed, practically all of the severe gum-forming mateand results are shown below: rials have been eliminated.

Hydrogenation Conditions Temperature, F. 212 300 H Pressure, Psig 400 800 Time, Hr. Br. No. Time, Hr. Br. No.

EXAMPLE 9 EXAMPLES ll-l2 Tungstic acid, 400 grams, was mixed with nickel car- A commerical nickel-tungsten on alumina catalyst bonate, 96 grams, and the dry mixture was ball milled containing about 3 percent MO and 17 percent W0 for one hour, and then heated at 700F. overnight. The

was thermally treated in dry nitrogen at 600F., then mixture was pelletized, broken and screened to l4-35 activated with aluminum triethyl (max, temperature mesh.

A portion, 42 grams, of the above catalyst was sulfided in a heated quartz tube first at 500F., then at 700F. for a total of 9 hours, using H 8 in nitrogen (about 20 percent H 8).

Another portion (46 grams) of the catalyst was heated at 600F. in dry N,, then activated with aluminum triethyl solution in the manner previously described (max. temperature l75F.). The catalyst was then freed of excess aluminum triethyl by stripping with dry N, at 400F. Sulfiding was carried out in a separate tube cooled in ice. The maximum temperature during sulfiding was 73F.

The hydrogenation of olelfin (octene) in benzene solution was found to follow first order kinetics. First order rate constants are shown below for the two catalysts described above for hydrogenation of 50 percent octene in benzene at 8/1 vol. ratio of feed/catalyst and 800 psig.

A commercial nickel-tungsten on alumina catalyst containing about 3.5% NiO and about 17% W was thermally treated in dry nitrogen at a temperature of 800F. and then activated with aluminum triethyl The activated supported catalyst was then treated in hydrogen at 800F. and then sulfided with H 8 at 400F. Thereafter, the sulfided catalyst was treated in hydrogen at 400F. for 1 hour (Run A) and in hydrogen at 900F. for 1 hour (Run B).

First order rate constants are shown below for the two catalysts (Run A and Run B) described above for the hydrogenation of octene-l 600 psig.

Run B clearly shows that stripping" the sulfided catalyst at high temperatures in presence of hydrogen results in a highly active catalyst under extremely mild conditions.

EXAMPLE 14 The catalyst from Run A of Example 13 was placed back in the activation tube and was treated in nitrogen at 900F. for 1 hour and was then tested again for hydrogenation of octenel. The activity (rate constant) at 212F. was 0.06%/hr. This catalyst was therefore not significantly improved in activity by the high temperature nitrogen treatment.

What is claimed is: 1. A catalyst composition formed by the process of: impregnating a support containing at least about 0.1 millimoles of hydroxyl groups per gram of support with an aqueous solution of a salt of a transition metal wherein the transition metal is selected from the group consisting of Groups lB, lVB, VB, VIB, VllB and VII] metals and mixtures thereof;

heat-treating the impregnated support at a temperature of at least about 500F.; activating the heat-treated impregnated support by contacting same with an organometallic compound having the formula: QR wherein Q is selected from Groups I, ll and III metals of the Periodic Chart of the Elements, R is selected from the group consisting of hydride, alkyl, aryl, alkylaryl, arylalkyl and cycloalkyl radicals containing up to about 20 carbon atoms and wherein n ranges from 1 to 3 and satisfies the valance of Q;

treating the activated supported metal complex in the presence of hydrogen at a temperature of at least about 300F.; and

contacting the hydrogen-treated activated supported metal complex with a gaseous stream containing hydrogen sulfide at a temperature of from about 0F. to about 1,000F.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein said organometallic compound, having the formula OR is predominantly covalently bonded.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the sulfided catalyst is contacted with a gaseous stream containing hydrogen at a temperature from about 400F to about 1,200F.

4. The process of claim I wherein the support is selected from oxides of Groups II, III and [V of the Peri odic Chart of the Elements.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein Q has an atomic number offrom 3 to 50 and wherein QR, is trialkyl aluminum.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein the hydrogentreated activated supported metal complex is treated with hydrogen sulfide at temperatures in the range of from about l00to about 800F.

7. The process of claim 1 wherein the hydrogen sulfide is contained in a gaseous stream in a concentration ranging from about 0.1 to about 20 percent. 

1. A CATALYST COMPOSITION FORMED BY THE PROCESS OF: IMPREGNATING A SUPPORT CONTAINING AT LEAST ABOUT 0.1 MILLIMOLES OF HYDROXYL GROUPS PER GRAM OF SUPPORT WITH AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF A SALT OF A TRANSITION METAL WHEREIN THE TRANSITION METAL IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF GROUPS IB, IVB, VB, VIB AND VIII METALS AND MIXTURES THEREOF HEAT-TREATING THE IMPREGNATED SUPPORT AT A TEMPERATURE OF AT LEAST ABOUT 5000F., ACTIVATING THE HEAT-TREATED IMPREGNATED SUPPORT BY CONTACTING SAME WITH AN ORGANOMETALLIC COMPOUND HAVING THE FORMULA: QRN WHEREIN Q IS SELECTED FROM GROUPS I, II AND 111 METALS OF THE PERIODIC CHART OF THE ELEMENTS, R IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HYDRIDE, ALKYL, ARYL, ALKYLARYL, ARYLALKYL AND CYCLOALKYL RADICALS CONTAINING UP TO ABOUT 20 CARBON ATOMS AND WHEREIN N RANGED FROM 2 TO 3 AND SATIFIES THE VALANCE OF Q, TREATING THE ACTIVATED SUPPORTED METAL COMPLEX IN THE PRESENCE OF HYDROGEN AT A TEMPERATURE OF AT LEAST ABOUT 300*F., AND CONTACTING THE HYDROGEN-TREATED ACTIVATED SUPPORTED METAL COMPLEX WITH A GASEOUS STREAM CONTAINING HYDROGEN SULFIDE WITH A TEMPERATURE OF FROM ABOUT 0*F. TO ABOUT 1,000*F.
 2. The process of claim 1 wherein said organometallic compound, having the formula QRn, is predominantly covalently bonded.
 3. The process of claim 1 wherein the sulfided catalyst is contacted with a gaseous stream containing hydrogen at a temperature from about 400*F to about 1,200*F.
 4. The process of claim 1 wherein the support is selected from oxides of Groups II, III and IV of the Periodic Chart of the Elements.
 5. The process of claim 1 Wherein Q has an atomic number of from 3 to 50 and wherein QRn is trialkyl aluminum.
 6. The process of claim 1 wherein the hydrogen-treated activated supported metal complex is treated with hydrogen sulfide at temperatures in the range of from about 100*to about 800*F.
 7. The process of claim 1 wherein the hydrogen sulfide is contained in a gaseous stream in a concentration ranging from about 0.1 to about 20 percent. 